In mid-December, the first snow of the year, sleet to be precise, fell in the city of N.
After self-study that night, Li Wei accompanied Zhang Man to an unfamiliar community near her home. Zhang Man confirmed the address to the house number on the paper, and then looked up at the boy beside him.
With his encouraging nod, she had courage in her heart.
She raised her hand and rang the bell on the security door.
Soon, a man's loud voice sounded: "Who is it?"
He opened the door, rubbed his sleepy eyes, saw two students in school uniforms at the door, and froze for a moment: "...Manman?"
The man was tall and sturdy in silk long-sleeved pajamas. He has a neat cut-off head, and his appearance is tough, and even because of the scar on his forehead, his face looks a bit fierce.
It is far less impressive than Zheng Zhi's warm and polite appearance.
Zhang Man greeted politely, "Hello Uncle Xu."
There was a trace of doubt in the man's eyes, but he still smiled and invited them to sit in.
Zhang Man pulled Li Wei to sit down on the sofa in the living room, while Xu Shang went to pour them tea.
Xu Shang didn't expect Zhang Man to come to him at all. In his impression, the little girl and her mother had a very general relationship, and he had ignored him before. But he hadn't seen her for months, and he almost didn't recognize her. The little girl seemed much more mature than before.
And the boy next to her, the two of them are not as old as him, but he doesn't dare to neglect him now.
Xu Shang poured two glasses of juice for the two of them, while he was drinking a cup of tea.
He took a sip of water to moisten his throat: "Manman, what's the matter with you coming to me so late today?"
Zhang Man sat upright and straightened his back, straight to the point: "Uncle Xu, I came here today to ask you, do you still like my mother?"
The sip of tea that Xu Shang had just entered his throat almost didn't come out, and he coughed for a long time.
What's the matter? I've only heard of my mother-in-law seeing her son-in-law, but I've never heard her daughter visit her mother's boyfriend.
Plus it's an ex-boyfriend.
Xu Shang didn't know why she asked this, but he nodded honestly at the little girl's serious eyes.
After he broke up with Zhang Huifang during this period, he was arranged by his family to go on a blind date several times, but not once was he moved. In other words, in fact, he has always been obsessed with Zhang Huifang, but he also knows that people are no longer interested in him.
The little girl looked at her and nodded, her tense face relaxed a lot, and her eyes became kind as she looked at him.
Xu Shang's face flushed, and he coughed in disguise: "Why are you asking this?"
Zhang Man also took a sip of the juice: "Uncle Xu, what did my mother say when she broke up with you before?"
Xu Shang was even more embarrassed to hear her question. How would you say such private words in front of a little girl? Besides, this little girl is still the daughter of his ex-girlfriend... Xu Shang felt a little headache.
Unexpectedly, the little girl seemed to see his embarrassment, soothed softly: "It's okay, Uncle Xu, just say it, I won't tell my mother."
Xu Shang hesitated for a while, his mood suddenly felt a little down, and he answered honestly: "Cough, cough... I didn't say anything. Your mother said that I think my personality is too honest and boring, and it's boring to be with me."
He bowed his head in embarrassment as he spoke, how to mention it to a child made him feel sad.
In those days, Zhang Huifang was really the white moonlight in the hearts of many young people in their alley. He had had a crush on her for many years and dared not confess. But he always knew that she despised him. When they were together, she also joked about marrying him, but later she didn't think he was too boring.
Zhang Man heard the words and looked at Li Wei.
Sure enough, Zhang Huifang also lied to Xu Shang.
With her temperament, after knowing that Xu Shang was definitely going to have a child, she would rather find other reasons to dump him than let him dump herself.
"Uncle, my mother didn't know when I came this time. I want to tell you something and ask what you think."
Xu Shang swallowed, listening to her serious tone, why did he feel a little nervous.
Zhang Man began to explain his intention: "My mother lied, she actually likes you, but she knows that if you marry her, she will definitely want another child, but my mother doesn't want to have another child for me, so... "
Hearing her words, Xu Shang opened his eyes slightly in shock, and his hands trembled with nervousness. He really didn't expect Zhang Huifang to want him, and that was the reason.
He didn't want to lose face in front of the child, so he held his left hand with his right hand.
He remembered that Zhang Huifang seemed to have mentioned this topic. At that time, his family was in a hurry, and what he said in his heart, he was almost forty, and he definitely wanted to have a child of his own while he was still young. So at that time, he said without hesitation: "To be born, it must be born, it is best to hold two in three years, one misses you and the other is like me."
Indeed, when he said this, he didn't think about Zhang Man too much, but he asked himself, even if he had a child of his own, he would not neglect Zhang Man. It's her child after all.
It seems that it was after that conversation that Zhang Huifang broke up with him not long after.
"Manman, then I..."
Xu Shang's eyes were a little struggling.
When he knew this was the reason, he was actually very excited. It turned out that she didn't like him. He wanted to immediately declare that he could no longer have children, but he thought of his old mother, who was still looking forward to holding a grandson every day at such an old age, so he couldn't say it.
Zhang Man was very satisfied when he saw him thinking seriously.
He didn't immediately change his mind and said he didn't want children, just because he was honest and cautious, and he was a person who would be responsible for what he said, so she laughed softly: "Uncle Xu, I didn't mean that, I mean, I want you to go again. Pursue my mother. If you can give me a lovely brother or sister in the future, I will be very happy."
She saw the man's suddenly raised eyes full of surprise, so she added: "Uncle Xu, I know that you have always been good to my mother, and I also want her to be happy in the future. As for her Thought work, I do it."
Xu Shang was a little stunned when he heard her words.
But after a while, he couldn't stop ecstatic, the little girl in front of him was simply an angel sent by God, how could she be so cute
He wanted to pretend to be a little more serious, but he couldn't help it, his eyes were wrinkled with laughter: "Manman, you are such a good boy, your Uncle Xu will never disappoint your hopes."
At this age, he will no longer be dazzled by joy like a hairy boy, but Xu Shang still feels that today is the most emotional day in this period of time.
After sending people away respectfully, Xu Shang rubbed his hands in the room and walked back and forth a few times, and then patted his forehead with a smile.
Yes, it was really seen.
—
After coming out of Xu Shang's house, it snowed even harder. The snow began to fall yesterday morning and has never stopped. During the day, the street community organized many people to clear the road together. At night, it was covered with thick snow again.
The two walked on the road one after the other, Li Wei walked in front, and he stepped on the snow one by one. Zhang Man's soles were thin, so he didn't want to get wet, so he stepped on his footprints and walked forward.
This kind of quiet, after a few months, has become natural between the two.
In fact, when it snows, it's not that cold. Zhang Man sees him walking in front, and her heart is even warmer. She thinks about today's events, and feels that she must change Zhang Huifang's life trajectory, and she can't be like her previous life. Die alone.
After hearing Zhang Huifang's phone call, she knew that Zhang Huifang really liked him, so she inquired about Uncle Xu's home address.
In fact, this is also a helpless move. With Zhang Huifang's face-saving temper, if Xu Shang hadn't taken the initiative, she would definitely not turn back.
Zhang Man had a good impression of Xu Shang, but to be on the safe side, he went to his 4S store and asked the clerk about his character.
To her great satisfaction, she received a consistent positive response. Everyone said that this person is honest, capable, responsible and reliable.
Zhang Man also inquired about his previous marriage history. He heard that it was a blind date marriage. His wife died in a car accident within two years. He was busy with his career and had no time to fall in love, so he was single all the time, so his private life was also very clean.
During this period of time, not only was she busy doing competition questions, but she was also busy asking around, so Zhang Huifang could not know. Even Chen Fei'er complained that their mother and daughter must have given birth to the wrong child. Instead, she was like an old mother with a broken heart.
The two went all the way downstairs to Zhang Man's house without a word, and the young man in front suddenly stopped. Zhang Man was thinking about something and didn't pay attention, and planted his head on his back.
She hit her nose hard this time, and cried out in pain, tears welling in her eyes.
The boy turned around and looked at her tearful eyes, his gaze resting on her ears that were red with cold.
When she was in school, she used to tie her hair in a high ponytail. Her palm-sized face was covered by bangs, leaving only half of it. Her ears also grew well, with small, rounded pinnae and thick earlobes, which looked very cute.
But now those ears were red from the cold, and her skin was so pale that the redness was so conspicuous that it looked a little distressing.
The boy's gaze paused, then looked into her eyes again: "Is it a pain in the collision? You have to see the way when you walk."
Zhang Man just recovered from the numbness on the bridge of his nose, and he didn't speak very well, and muttered dissatisfiedly: "... Who told you to stop without saying a word."
"Well, blame me."
There was a warm smile on the corner of the boy's mouth. He didn't refute it. Looking at her, under the street lamp, her shadow was much smaller and thinner than his.
He suddenly remembered the feeling of being hugged by a soft cloud when he hugged her in the bar last time.
The numbness in my heart struck again.
Before meeting her, he always thought that he was an absolutely rational person, and his thoughts could absolutely control his actions.
But not now. The body has its own actions again before the brain has a clear response.
He closed his eyes, stepped forward, put his hands on the girl's shoulders, and was about to exert a little force...
"Zhang Man, the dead girl came back so late and didn't make a phone call? This is... your classmate?"
The "da-da" sound of the high-heeled shoes landing and a dangerous tone sounded in the corridor.